Here are some blog tips I recently contributed to REALTOR magazine:

Blogs are online journals that give everyone the opportunity to be a writer and publisher. Real estate practitioners use the medium to interact with their community and reinforce their professional expertise.

InternetCrusade, the San Diego-based real estate technology company, provides these tips for getting started:

• Understand what a blog can do for you. Blogs are frequently updated and blend personal opinions and fact with links to other resources. If done right, your blog will showcase your real estate know-how and differentiate you from other practitioners in your market.

• Determine the purpose of your blog. Before you leap into the world of blogging, find your focus. Your blog can be professional, fun, or educational, or any combination of those. Define your blog’s goal. Will it position you as the neighborhood real estate expert? Will it service your clients and prospects? Will it help you network with other real estate pros or with fellow hobbyists?

• Select blog software. There’s no shortage of programs that make it extraordinarily simple to create and update a blog. With no more effort or time than it takes to compose an e-mail, you can have your latest blog entry on the Web. Experiment with different software programs, such as Google’s Blogger or InternetCrusade’s RealTown Blogs, both of which are free.

• Address the needs of your target audience. Think of yourself as an editor who must provide compelling and relevant news and filter information on your audience’s behalf. For example, if your audience is primarily buyers, use your blog to deliver buying tips and information on properties just minutes after they hit the market.

• Update your blog regularly. Create a schedule of when you’ll add new postings, whether it’s three times a day or once a week. Let readers know how often the site is updated, and stay true to your word. Fresh content will keep your audience interested and will help the blog rank higher on search engines.

• Encourage audience participation. Ask for opinions and feedback on the issues you cover in your blog — for example, “Which architectural style do you like best?” or “What would you like to see developed at the corner of Main Street and Forest Drive?” Also include a “comments” section where readers can post other feedback any time.

• Jazz it up. Add dimension to your blog with photos, videos, and links to news articles, relevant Web sites, and your favorite blogs.

• Use RSS feeds. A technology called RSS, short for “really simple syndication,” allows you to proactively distribute your blog content. It works like this: People who visit your blog—and have already installed an RSS reader on their computer—can click on a link you provide to have the content delivered straight to their reader. Make sure your blog software has RSS feed capability.

• Arrange postings by categories. Your blog software will automatically sort your postings on your blog site with the newest content on top. But that makes it difficult for visitors to your site to zero in on the topics they find most interesting. Use the “categories” feature of your blog software to organize your postings by topic.

• Promote your blog at every opportunity. Create a prominent link to the blog on your Web site, include the blog’s Web address in your e-mail signature, and reference your blog in all advertising and marketing materials. If you publish an article in your blog that you’re particularly proud of, send a link to everyone in your sphere of influence. Be sure to have someone check your spelling and grammar before you publish. Errors will reflect badly on you.

Source: REALTOR® Magazine, The List Issue 2006

Ask any 10 REALTORS® you know: "What's a Blog?" You'll likely get a variety of responses including a few "What’s a what??"

Selling real estate requires constant contact with people. “Contacts create contracts.” Since the average term of homeownership is something like 5 to 8 years, what method or methods do you use to keep yourself and your name in front of people? Prospecting consumes a good amount of time for most successful real estate professionals.

While the traditional methods of participating in community and church activities works well for many, the Internet -- and a fairly “new” concept known as Blogging -- can increase your Internet presence and fit nicely into your web site and Internet marketing strategy. It can be very cost effective and, for many, actually a very enjoyable way to prospect and keep your name in front of people. After all, the secret to success in marketing is no secret at all…whether you are Coca Cola or a one person real estate business…you work (and often pay) to keep your name (and brand) in front of people.

According to Technorati, a web site that tracks Web log activity, the “Blogosphere” continues to grow at a breakneck pace. Technorati currently tracks 35.3 Million weBlogs (Blogs), and reports that the “Blogosphere” has doubled about every 6 months for the past 42 months. The “Blogosphere” is over 60 times bigger than it was only three years ago.

What’s a Blog?

The term Blog is “short” for Web Log, a type of website content that is updated on a regular basis. It is different from the “usual” website in that it may contain information written and submitted (posted) by various contributors in addition to the owner of the Blog. A Blog can be a one-sided or a multi-sided Internet “conversation.” When you comment on a Blog, the comment remains attached to the Blog, usually for public viewing. An e-mail alert is usually sent to the Blog owner to notify him/her that there is a comment from a reader. This is a feature that makes a Blog interactive. Authors can respond via additional notes or comments on the Blog and/or via e-mail.

The blog should have a “mailing list” feature in which your regular readers can subscribe to receive e-mail alerts when you post something new to your blog. The alert can contain a custom message from you along with a hot link to the specific posting. This is a good way to maintain contact with your “friends.”

"A Blog is the website you always wanted." Today, a Blog, a domain, and an IDX solution can provide the marketing side of a web presence for many REALTORS® and the cost in dollars is nominal…there is however, the cost of time.  Blogs often mix candor, informality, opinion and links to related information. A Blog is much easier to work with than the usual web site or web site template. No programming skills are needed to create and maintain a Blog, just content. Actually, if you are able to send informative e-mail messages, then you’ll have no trouble “Blogging.”  Do you have a subject or a passion you want to share with the world? Start your own Blog. Does it have to be real estate-related? Not necessarily.

A Blog is the ideal vehicle to showcase your expertise, interests and personality. Today, it seems like everyone is jumping on the Blogging bandwagon. Blogs written by politicians, musicians, novelists, sports figures, newscasters and other notable figures can be found in the “Blogosphere.”  Millions of Americans are now “Blogging.” If you can think of an idea or subject, you can probably find a Blog about it. These personal journals have taken the Internet by storm. Thanks to easy-to-use programs and websites, the most technically challenged person can create a Blog and populate it in real-time. A blog can be created the instant a need arises. Take a look at http://KatrinaBlog.RealTown.com.

Blogging has now reached the real estate industry. Blogs can be used in a number of ways, which will be explored later in this article. A Blog is the perfect Internet publishing tool for some people, but not for everyone. It is very easy to start one up, although it takes a certain discipline to seed it and keep it growing. For further examples of Blogs, see http://Blogs.InternetCrusade.com.

WCR member and trainer Joeann Fossland uses the Blog in her real estate coaching business. Take a look at http://Blog.Joeann.com.  Joeann also has a website -- http://Joeann.com -- that is designed and maintained by a professional. Joeann doesn’t need a webmaster for her blog, she is able to make entries herself "on the fly" and they are instantly viewable on the web. Also take a look at my Blog, http://Blog.SaulKlein.com, and note the flexibility that the use of categories offers.

How can I set up a Free Blog?

If you are interested in exploring the wonderful world of Blogging, go to http://RealTownBlogs.com and take a few minutes to set up your personal Blog. There is no charge. You'll be joining a rapidly growing community currently at 500. There's also a neat feature in which you can elect to have your Blog run privately while you go about creating it to the level you would want it added to our public directory.

10 Tips for Prospective Bloggers

1.  Understand what a Blog is and what it can do for you.

A Blog is a web publishing tool in the form of a frequently updated, online journal that blends personal opinion and factual information with observations and links to other resources. A Blog can showcase your expertise and afford you an opportunity to differentiate yourself from other real estate professionals. You can Blog about your community, restaurants in your community, charities you support, or anything about which you have an interest or a passion. It does not have to be about real estate.

 
2.  State the purpose of your Blog.
 
Your Blog can serve many purposes. Clearly state what it is your Blog intends to accomplish. Define your Blog’s goal. Will it position you as the neighborhood real estate expert? Will it service your clients and prospects? Will it help you network and share helpful information with other real estate pros or with fellow hobbyists/club members? Maybe you can set up and maintain a Blog for an organization. Every WCR Chapter could use a Blog as a means to get information out in real-time and to solicit input and conversation, and all this at no cost and requiring no technology skills.

3. Take control of your Blog.

Think of yourself as a tour guide whose role is to direct the attention of your audience to compelling content. With today’s information overload, they'll appreciate your efforts to filter news and information on their behalf. Use it to update clients with new properties minutes after they are listed.

4. Remember: It’s content, content, content.

Plan to add new postings every week (everyday is even better). Fresh content will not only maintain the interest of your audience, it may have a positive impact on search engine optimization rankings.

5.  Encourage participation and community generated content.

Include a “Comments” feature that enables your audience to append their comments in a threaded discussion. Make your Blog interactive. People will return if they are submitting posts and asking questions…and that is what you want, participation, both active and passive.

6.  Add links, photos, video, permalinks, Blogrolls.

In addition to the text message, you can include links to relevant resources; photos, even videos, give added dimension to your Blog. Be sure your Blog software offers a 'permalink' feature that enables you to create a unique URL for each posting. Add links to your favorite Blogs, called a Blogroll.

7.  Use RSS feeds.

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and is a means of easily distributing your Blog content so that it appears on the desktop of anyone with a RSS reader that subscribes to your Blog feed. If you are not familiar with a RSS reader, download one to your desktop and subscribe to a few news feeds and some Blog feeds (e.g., the orange RSS feed button at http://Blog.SaulKlein.com). Be sure your Blog software has RSS Feed capability.

8.  Arrange postings by categories.

Blog postings typically appear with the newest at top. Use the Categories feature to help organize your postings and make it easy for readers to locate topics of interest.

The RealTownBlogs.com software has a unique feature called “Sticky Entries” that enables you to re-order your postings and keep special announcements at the top. Both the Categories and Sticky Entries features are great publishing tools. And, yes, you are “publishing” when you are blogging!

9. Promote your Blog at every opportunity.

Create a link on your website; include the URL in your signature; and reference your Blog in all your advertising and marketing. When you publish an exceptional article, be sure to send the 'permalink' URL to your sphere of influence - you can use a third level domain for this purpose. For example, I often reference a piece I wrote on the topic of Commitment. See http://Commitment.SaulKlein.com

10. Do it now.

InternetCrusade®, NAR's partner for domains and e-PRO®, will host your Blog on their servers at no charge; go to http://RealTownBlogs.com and click the 'Create One' link. In addition to the free blogs, InternetCrusade has created a community of bloggers on BlogTalk who provide ideas for improvements to the blog software you will be using. BlogTalk uses the latest technology to network the community via e-mail and web-based discussion forums. Become part of the number one real estate blogging community today.